Future of Scotland's fish industry discussed
19 January 2010
Healthy fish stocks are the key to success - WWF
If Scotland's fishing industry is to have of a sustainable and profitable future then healthy fish stocks must become the foundation stone of all fisheries policies, said WWF Scotland today (Tuesday 19 January). The call comes as the future of Scotland’s fishing industry comes under the spotlight at a high profile meeting in Edinburgh today. [1]
The Scottish Government, fishing industry and NGO’s are gathering for the first Scottish Fisheries Council meeting of 2010. The main area of discussion will be the government's new action plan to revitalise Scottish fisheries. [2]
WWF Scotland will be present at the meeting and is hoping to raise issues such as the ongoing Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform, the positive lessons from the Conservation Credits Scheme [3] and the use of value added measures such as fisheries certification by MSC.
Louize Hill, Marine Policy Officer at WWF Scotland said:
“We believe that healthy fish stocks are the underpinning element in healthy, sustainable and profitable fisheries. Only with plentiful resources can the fishing industry thrive.
“Scotland has already shown leadership in innovative fisheries management with the Conservation Credits Scheme, which has lead to significant benefits in stock conservation. A good outcome from the Scottish Fisheries Council should lead to further positive steps in the form of this action plan.”
As ever the problem of discards will be a key point in the discussions. While the technical measures introduced under the Conservation Credits Scheme have significantly reduced discards of cod, levels of discarding of other important commercial species such as haddock and whiting are still high and need to be addressed urgently. Discards remain one of the prime factors hindering the recovery of the stocks therefore a key outcome of the action plan must be to tackle this.
Louize Hill added:
“Scotland has already been leading the way in Europe in tackling discards by developing selective gear and implementing closed areas to protect fish stocks. However discards still exist, so more needs to be done. New and innovative measures must be rolled out across the fleet sooner rather than later. Trials with CCTV cameras observing catches onboard vessels are underway and the incentive of higher catch quotas in these trials was approved at the end of last year. These trails show that this simple, non-invasive technology can lead to huge reductions in discards.”
Notes to Editors
[1] Created to ensure a sustainable future for fishing, the Scottish Fisheries Council brings together representatives of the fishing industry, conservation groups and the scientific community. The Council holds its first meeting of 2010 in Edinburgh today.
[2] The Scottish Government's action plan to revitalise Scottish fisheries has four pillars:
• Improving the wider, international framework for fisheries management
• Managing our own current fishing quota and effort allocations in a way that promotes sustainability and profitability
• Working with the industry to help them maximise the value of the catch
• Ensuring that we have a resilient fleet that is crewed by a skilled workforce
[3] Scottish Conservation Credits Scheme http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/scottish_conservation_credits_scheme.pdf
[4] WWF Netgain showcasing Tam Harcus’ Orkney net (also Smartgear entrant)
http://vimeo.com/8739441
